Deepening the anger among the garment workers, no decision has yet been made in regard to giving garment workers’ unpaid wages and Eid bonus, hinting a possibility of creating serious chaos.
Most of the export-oriented garment factories have not yet paid their last April’s wages, which sends a message to the garment workers that they will not get salaries and bonuses before the largest Muslim festival.
Besides, it has also been hinted that the current month's wages will not be paid before the first week of June.
Garment Workers Trade Union Center general secretary Joly Talukder said, “As usual, we demanded to pay our salary and equal amount of bonus within May 20. At the same time, considering the present situation, we also placed our demands to pay 15 days wages for this month at the same time. The owner refused to comply with our demands. One of the owners said that in the current situation, he cannot give a bonus of more than 25 to 50 percent of the basic wage”.
The suspicions went even deeper, when an hour-long tripartite committee meeting ended without reaching a certain decision on Eid bonuses with State Minister for Labor Begum Mannujan in the chair at Shormo Bhaban on Wednesday.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Rubana Huq, former BGMEA presidents Abdus Salam Murshedy and Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) president Mohammad Hatem and Bangladesh Textile Association (BTA) president Mohammad Ali Khokon, among other worker leaders, were present at the meeting.
On condition not to be named, a BGMEA leader said, “The tripartite meeting decided to give workers three days of Eid leave to prevent corona infections and this month's wages in the first week of June. About the bonus, the new decision will come this week”.
The tripartite meeting was boycotted by some labor leaders. In this regard, Amirul Haque Amin, who also boycotted the meeting, said, “If the meeting is all about deducting workers’ wages, there is no logic to attend such a meeting”.
Even 16 days of this month have elapsed maximum factories were unable to pay workers’ unpaid wages based on the government incentive package. Hence, garment workers at different industrial regions are continuing their protests demanding cent percent of arrears.
